Florida expressly preempts local regulation of drones, reserving authority to the state and federal government, with limited surveillance and trespass exceptions.
Fla. Stat. 330.41 (the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act) preempts the entire field of unmanned aircraft regulation to the state. A political subdivision may not enact or enforce an ordinance regulating the design, manufacture, operation, registration, or use of a drone. Recreational pilots fly under the FAA's Exception for Recreational Flyers (49 U.S.C. 44809), which requires passing the TRUST safety test and registering drones weighing over 0.55 pounds. Florida's Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act (Fla. Stat. 934.50) prohibits using drones to capture images of private property where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Surveillance violations under Fla. Stat. 934.50 expose operators to civil suits for compensatory damages, injunctive relief, and prevailing-party attorneys' fees, with punitive damages available in some cases. Unauthorized airspace operation is a federal FAA matter.
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